United’s facing ‘test of character’

Manchester United great Ryan Giggs has admitted the under pressure Premier League champions are facing a test of character after a run of poor results. Photo by: Jon Super

Manchester, United Kingdom – Manchester United great Ryan Giggs has admitted the under pressure Premier League champions are facing a “test of character” after a run of poor results.

But the 40-year-old Giggs, United's record appearance-maker, sees no reason why the club cannot turn round their fortunes under David Moyes just as they did on several occasions during Alex Ferguson's celebrated time in charge at Old Trafford.

However, United are currently on a run of three straight defeats and another loss to Swansea – who knocked them out of the FA Cup on Saturday – would represent their worst run since 1981 when they lost eight games out of 10 and Dave Sexton was sacked as manager.

“It is a test of character but I am fully confident we will come through it and we will be okay,” Giggs said Friday.

“I have said many times over the years, the defeats and losses generate a bigger feeling than winning things. It sticks with you a lot longer.

“You have to react and you have to try and do something about it,” he added.

“It hurts. There are players at this club who only know winning.

“It is important for the older players, who have been through these sticky patches before to help the younger ones,” the Welshman insisted.

“That is what we have done in the past and that is what we will try and do at the weekend,” he said.

“There are good players in the dressing room who probably haven't been playing to the best of our ability, both individually and as a team.

“If we do that, we win more matches than we lose,” explained Giggs, now operating as a player-coach under Moyes.

For all that Ferguson, British football's most successful club manager, is no longer at the helm following retirement after 26-and-a-half trophy-laden years in charges, Giggs said certain fundamentals would endure under Moyes.

“At United, we have never got carried away too much when we have been winning trophies and it is also the case that you don't get carried away when you are losing,” he said.

“We want to do something about it but we just do the same things as you have done over the years. We go back to basics.

“The manager's job is to prepare the team, as individuals we try and prepare the best way we can.

“We are just thinking about doing what we did six weeks ago and trying to get back to the form that allowed us to go on a run of six wins,” said Giggs.

“That is what we will need to do if we are to climb back up the table. We need to start winning and winning fast.” – Sapa-AFP